Roll seal



K. SKIVESEN Oct. 6, 1953 ROLL SEAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18, 1950INVENTOR. KRISTIAN SKIVESEN ATTORNEY.

K. SKIVESEN ROLL SEAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18, 1950 FIG.

T S M m Wm K ATTORNEY.

Oct. 6, 1953 K. SKIVESEN 2,654,587

ROLL SEAL Filed May 18, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F G. 3 4 s INVENTOR.

KRISTIAN SKIVESEN tgg wkm ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 6, 1953 ROLL SEAL,

Kristian Skivescn, Flourtown, Pa., assignor to Selas Corporation ofAmerica, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May18, 1950, Serial No. 162,760

13 Claims.

The present invention relates to the heat treatment of sheet metal, andmore particularly to a roll seal that can be used at the entrance orexit of a treating chamber to keep the chamber closed so that a desiredatmosphere can be maintained therein. I

In the treatment of strip material such as the continuous annealing ofstrip steel, for example, the strip is moved through a furnace chamberwhere it is heated, often under a special atmosphere. From the furnacechamber the strip is passed through a cooling chamber that is usuallysupplied with a neutral atmosphere, and from there to a point of use orstorage. In both the furnace and the cooling chamber it is necessary toprovidea seal at the exit and entrance to maintain the atmosphere in thetreating space. It is also necessary that this seal be so designed thatthe strip can move into or out of the treating chamber without anyretarding efiect thereon and without marring its surface, even thoughthe thickness of the strip'may vary from time to time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a roll seal to beused in the treatment of strip materials to, seal the entrance or exitof a treating chamber. It is a further object of the invention toprovidea seal of the type described in which the rolls and the sealscooperating therewithare mounted for movement in such a way thatirregularities in the thickness of. the

strip may be compensated for without changing the path of the strip. I IV In the seal of the present invention there are provided a pair ofrolls between which the strip passes. These rolls are mounted forsimultane- ,ous movement toward and from each other, but

are biased normally in a directionto grasp the strip between them.Between the rolls and the treating chamber with which they are used area series of sealing members to close the space between the chamber andthe rolls in a substantially gas-tight manner.

The various features of novelty whichcharacterize my invention arepointed out with particularity in the. claims annexed to and formingFigure 1 is aside view of a portion of the apparatus showing the sealingarrangement;

Figure 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 with a portion of thefurnace shown in section;

Figure 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1 with certain partsshown in section;

Figure 4 is a view, partly in section, of a modified form of theinvention; and

Figure 5 is a view, partly in section, taken from the right of Figure 4.

The roll seal of the present invention may be used between any twochambers or at the entrance or exit of a chamber through which a strippasses which chambers are to be sealed from each other or theatmosphere. 'In this application the seal is disclosed by way of exampleas being used between aholding furnace zone and a cooling chamber in astrip annealing apparatus of the type generally shown and described in'the application of Frederic O. Hess,

Serial No. 48.203, filed September 8, 1948.

Referring to the drawings and Figures 1 and 2, in particular, there isshown the holding furnace section 1, the lower end of which is closed bythe seal 2 through which the strip passes between the furnace and aclosed cooling chamber or duct 3.' The furnace, shown herein, comprisesthe holding zone of a continuous annealing line, and is so designed thatit will maintain the temperature of a strips at the annealingtemperature prior to the time it is being passed into a cooling zoneWhere controlled cooling can take place. The furnace is of theradiantpanel type and includes two panels 4 and 5 which are mounted formovement toward and from each other. To this end there are providedtracks it upon which wheels, shown diagrammatically at I, ride asthefurnace sections are moved toward and from each other. The details ofthe furnace construction and the 'manner of moving these panels formnopart of the present inventionso I that it is not necessary to describethe construction therefor. The lower portion of each of the furnacepanels consists of a casting 8 or 9, re-

' spectively, upon which the remainder of the'furnace is built. Thefurnaces are built in accordance with usual furnace construction ofrefractory brick that is backed up by sheet metal work H. Each of thepanels also includes a number of radianttype burners formed ofrefractory material, which are directed toward the strip as it is movedthrough the furnace chamber. These is disposed adistributor member I 4.A combustible fuel mixture is supplied through pipe I to the distributorfrom which it is discharged as a plurality of small jets which burnalong the surface of the cup I3 to heat the same to incandesence andthereby direct radiant heat against the strip. The supply of fuel toeach of the burners is controlled in any suitable manner as by a valveindicated herein at 16.

Below the furnace and the seal is the cooling chamber shown as a duct 3into which the strip is fed after it has been heated. This duct may beinsulated or not, depending upon the cooling requirements of theparticular installation with which it is used. In any event, the upperend of the duct is fastened in pressure-tight relation to a rectangularcasting I! that surrounds the strip as it is moving downwardly, as shownin the drawings. 'Ilhis casting, as indicated best in Figure 3, ishollow so that a cooling fluid, such as water,ma'y be circulated throughit.

heat resisting alloy rolls i8 and 19 which are mounted respectively uponshafts 2| and 22 that are journaled in bearings 23 and 24. The bearingsare mounted for movement toward and from each other so that the rollscan move toward and from each other to allow for inequalities in thethickness of the strip. The arrangement is such, however, that the rollsare at all times biased toward each other into engagement with thestrip. It is noted that the mounting of each roll and the seal membersbetween eachroll and the furnace and casting ll respectively, areduplicates. Therefore-the same reference. numerals will be used for theduplicate parts. Each of the bearings23 and 24 has a plate 25 attachedto it, which plate is in turn securely bolted to a plate 26 formed onthe upper part of a sleeve 21. Each sleeve has an .arm 28 projectingdownwardly therefrom. Each of the sleeves 2'! is journaled foroscillating movement around a shaft 29 that is in turn-journ'aled forrotation in rigidly mounted bearings 3 l. The bearings are attached tothe framework 32 of the apparatus. It will be seen from an inspection ofthe drawing that the bearings for supporting the roll shafts and theextensions 28 on the lower ends of .the sleeves 21 in effect form leverswhich pivot around the shafts 29. The lower ends of the arms 28 areconnected by a pair of links 33 of such a length that they extendupwardly at an angle to the horizontal. The inner ends of these linksare pivoted together and pivoted to a slider 34 that is guided forvertical movement in guides 35 attached to the frame. It will be seenthat a downward movement of the slider will cause the links 33 to actsimilar to a toggle jointto move the lower ends of arms 28 away fromeach other, to in turn move the surfaces of the roll 18 and I9 intoengagement with each other or with a strip that is passing between them.The slider 34 is biased downwardly at all times by means of weights 3'!that are attached to the slider by a rod 35. Only one end of the rollsand the mounting therefor have been shown in Figure 1 of the drawing,since the other 4 end of the rolls and the mounting means therefor isexactly the same.

In some cases the rolls can be driven by the strip. In most cases,however, it is desirable to drive the rolls so that they will help tomove the strip through its path of travel. The mounting arrangement ofthe rolls disclosed herein is admirably suited for a positive drivingarrangement and provision may be made therefor at either end of therolls. As disclosed herein, the rolls are positively driven by a motor38 that is mounted on the framework 32 of the apparatus. This motor isconnected through a coupling 39 with a shaft 29, the right one in Figure2 for example, to drive the same. This shaft 29, which rotates around afixed axis, has a gear 4| on it that meshes with a gear 42 on shaft 22to which roll 19 attached. Therefore, when the motor is driven, roll l9will also be driven. A similar gear is provided for rotating roll 58.For this purpose there is provided a gear on the left shaft 29 in Figure2 which meshes with the gear 4 I, and there is provided a gear on. theshaft 21 that is driven by the. gear on the left shaft 29. It will be"clear that the two driving gears on the shafts 29 can mesh with thegears on shafts 2i and 22 even though said shafts are oscillated aroundshafts 29. This arrangement permits a positive drive to each of the rollshafts at any position of the latter even though they may be movedtoward and from each other. It is noted that shafts 2| and 22 are hollowand they may be water-cooled if desired by supplying water to eachthrough a supply pipe 44. These pipes should be flexible enough tocompensate for the movement of the shafts.

Sealing means are provided between the rolls and the furnace panels toprevent the inflow of excess air to the furnace chamber and also toprevent the loss of heat. As seen in the left portion of Figure 3, thecasting 8 is curved downwardly with a relatively great clearance betweenthe bottom part of this casting and the surface of roll 18. The casting9 is madein a similar manner. There is provided sealing means whichextends between the lower portion of the casting and axially along thesurface of the roll. This sealing means takes the form of a metal stripand is shown at 46 in the drawing. A gasket 41 is placed between thecasting and the strip itself. The mounting means for this. sealing stripincludes a vertically disposed piece 48 on the casting to which isbolted an angle iron 49 upon which the sealing strip rests and slides.The strip is biased at all times into engagement with the surface of theroll by a rod 5| whose inner end engages the back of the strip and whoseouter end is engaged by the vertically extending portion of a bell cranklever 52 that is pivoted at 53. A weight 54 biases lever 52 in acounter-clockwise direction to force the sealing strip against thesurface of the roll.

As was mentioned above, the furnace panels may be moved toward and fromeach other. As the furnace panel 4, for example, is moved to the leftaway from the roll, the weight 54 will continue to bias the sealingstrip toward the roll. This movement toward the roll, however, islimited by a pin 50 extending through the angle 49, which pin willengage a portion of the sealing strip to limit its outward movement.Therefore, the sealing strip will not be dislodged from its supportingmeans as the panel upon which it is mounted is moved away from the roll.Each of the sealing strips 46 extending axially along the rolls isformed of a number of individual sections assets? These sections: engageeach: other with atongue and groove joint- 55 as is: indicated in:Figure: 1 off the: drawing. the furnace is heatedv up all of the partsin contact therewith will also be heated. The tongue and groovejointsbetween the sections of theasealing. strips permit expansion ofthe sealing; strips to. take place withoutv forcing. them beyond: theedges of the furnace.

There is. also provided a substantially triangular sealing member 56whichv extends into the crevice or nip between the rolls: I 8 and I-Svto close off the gap that is formed between. the sides of the: furnaceat this point. As best seen in. Figure .2: of the drawing.,. this pieceextends on both. sides of the center of: the furnace to overlap thecentral portion of. both of the furnace sections 4- and 5. The sealingmember 56 is pivotedv at 51- on the furnace panel 5: and. is providedwith a downwardly extending arm 58. As the furnace panels are moved awayfrom. each other panel 5 will be moved to the right in Figure 2' of thedrawing. During. this movement sealing member 55 will. ride up along thesurface of; roll l9 causing. the arm 58' to move clockwise downwardly;Just. as-the sealing member .is riding off the surface of the roll thelower end of arm 58- will be engaged by a pin 59 that projects outwardlyinto the path thereof from some stationary member suchas the track 6.This pin will hold the sea-ling member 56 in its clock-wise positionuntil such time as the panels are-moved toward each other again. Becauseof. the cooperation between arm 58 and pin 59 the sealing member will beheld in its clockwise position and will be ready to return to theposition between the rolls when the panels are moved together. Referringto Figure 1, it. will be seen that the rolls l8 and [9 are longer thanthe width of the furnace. This means that the sealing member 56' canbear against. the surface of the rolls rather than. against-the endsthereof. By having thismember bear against the surface of the rolls avery accurate seal can be obtained between the rolls and the end of thefurnace.

The spaces which extend circumferentially of the rolls between the sidesof member 56 and the tops of sealing strips 46 are closed by arcuatemembers 45. Each of these members, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, isattached to the end of one of the strips 46 so that it will move backand forth with the strip as the rolls move.

There is alsoprovided a seal between the rolls l8 and I9 and the castingI! at the entrance of the cooling duct 3. These seals serve the purposeof keeping the upper end of the cooling duct 3 closed with respect tothe air so that any particular atmosphere in this duct will bemaintained. As best shown in Figures 1 and 3, the seal includes sealingstrips BI extending axially of the rolls and each of which is pressedagainst both one of the. rolls and a side of the casting l1. Eachsealing strip. is biased upwardly against the roll by a rod 62 that-isguided for movement by guidesv 63 on the outside of the casting. Thelower end of rod. 52 is engaged by the inner end of a lever 64 that ispivoted at 65. This lever is biased. in 'a direction to move the rodupwardly by a weight 65 attached to the outer end thereof. The sealingstrip BI is biased inwardly against the side of th casting by a lever 61that is pivoted at 68. This lever in turn is biased in a clockwisedirection as shown in Figure 3 by a lever 69- that has a push plate H onthe end thereof. The lever 69' is moved around its pivot 12 by a weight13" 6 on the. outer end thereof. This; sealing strip BI is also made insections as was the sealing striplfii. These sections from end to end.engage eaclr other with a tongue and groove connection. as is shownatinthe. drawing. Sealing" means; 61 are used: both between the. left sideof: the. casting; l1 and roll l8 as well as betweenthe right side of thecasting and roll. IS.

A sealing member is also used. to close the gap. between. the cavity ornip of the rolls and the end of the casting li'l. This member takes the:form. of a substantially triangular shaped piece: 14. that is forcedupwardly into the nip of therolls by the. upper end of a rod 15. Thelower end: of rod. has force applied to. it by the: inner end. of a.lever 16 that is pivoted at 1'1", and whose: outer end has a weight 1-8attached to it. The sealing member M is biased against the end ofcasting I! by a lever; 19 that is pivoted at 8|. This lever in turn is.moved ma, clockwise direction. inFigure 1 by a second lever 82 thatispivoted atv 83 and whichv is; biased in a counter-clockwise direction.by a weight 84. From the above; description it will be. seen thatsealingstrips extend all the. way around the casting I11 between thiscasting and the rolls to completely closev off any opening through whichthe atmosphere in the cooling duct 3 could readily escape- Casting IT:to which the upper end of duct 3 is attached is shorter than the rolls.This casting may be held in position by any suitable means. As shownherein, however, there are provided supporting structural members 86extending between the frame 32 and each corner of the casting to. hold.this casting in position. Similar structural members extend between theframe on. the. other side of the apparatus and the other end. of thiscasting.

The sealing means. that has. been described above is used between. thefurnace and the entrance of the cooling duct. At this location there. isa good deal. of heat inv the strip and the furnace thatwill betransferred to the sealing means. For this reason weights are necessaryin order" to keep the various sealing strips against the rollers. Inother locations such as the exit of the cooling tower where the strip isat a relatively low temperature springs can be used in place of' weightsto keep the sealing meansv against the rolls and the duct in order tomaintain the atmosphere in the duct. Such a sealing means is shown inFigures 4 and 5.

As disclosed in these figures, there are rolls 18a. and 1911 that aremounted on shafts 21a and 2212 respectively. These rolls are supportedby structure similar to that described above for supportingrolls l8 andIS. A driving means may also be used for these rolls if it is sodesired. Referring to the figures it will be seen that the duct 3 hasfastened to it a rectangular frame. 81, the lower edge of whichterminates close to the rolls. As shown in this figure, there areprovided .sealing strips 88 extending axially of the rolls. and abuttingthe sides of the frame 81. These strips are pressed into engagement withthe rolls by means of springs 89, the upper ends of. which are receivedin cups 9|. The cups are mounted on adjustable supports 92 that areinturn fastened to a flange 93 extending perpendicularly to. the frameandv around the same. The sealing. strips 88 are forced against the sideof the frame by springs 94. The outer ends of these springs are receivedin cups 95 that are N mum of trouble.

attached to supports 96, also fastened to the flange 93.

The space between theends of the frame 81 and the rolls is closed by asealing member 91 which is substantially triangular in shape and whichextends downwardly into the crevice or nip of the rolls. This member isbiased downwardly into engagement with the rolls by a spring 98 whoseupper end is received in a cup 99. The cup is attached to the flange 93by an adjustable support Edi. The sealing member 91 is forced inwardlyagainst the end of the frame 8'! by springs 62. The outer end of thesesprings are received in a cup 33 which is fastened to a support we thisin turn is mounted on the flange 93. It will, therefore, be seen thatthe space between the entire lower end of the frame 8'! and the rollsEda and tile is closed by sealing members which are biased against boththe frame and the rolls.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a rollseal between two chambers through which a strip to be treated istravelling. This seal is so made that there is substantially no leakagebetween the chambers or between the chambers and the atmosphere. Therolls are so mounted that they will move equal amounts from apredetermined central position as irregularities in the strip passbetween them.

Therefore, the strip will always be guided in a straight path as it ispassing from one chamber to the other regardless of any irregularitiesin the thickness thereof. This construction is particularly advantageouswhere a lap joint occurs between the end of one strip and the beginningof a second strip that is attached thereto. The mounting means for therollers also permits a positive drive to be applied thereto with a mini-Because both of the rolls move around stationary axes it is easy todrive the rolls through gearing that is fixed relative to the said axes.

The sealing means that is provided between the rolls and the ends of thechambers through which the strip travels is such that practically noleakage can occur either axially of the rolls or at the point where therolls meet. The sealing strips used between the rolls and the ends ofthe chambers are biased at all times into engagement with both the rollsand the chamber v so that any expansion thereof will occur as a resultof heating of the strip or the apparatus can readily be taken up withoutin anyway affecting the ability of the apparatus to close the spacebetween the chamber and the rolls. Furthermore, the sealing meansdisclosed between the rolls and the sides of furnace panels is such thatit will automatically assume its sealing position after the furnacepanels have been moved from their inoperative position to the operativeposition shown in the drawings. It is particularly advantageous to havethe rolls longer than the chambers since a better seal can be obtainedbetween the chambers and the surface of the rolls than can possibly beobtained between the chambers and the end of the rollers where anyexpansion of either part will take place due to heating and cooling ofthe apparatus.

While in accordance with the provisions of the Statutes, I haveillustrated and described the best form of embodiment of my inventionnow known to me it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatchanges may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of theinvention, as

set forth in the appended claims, and that in some cases certainfeatures of my invention may be used to advantage without acorresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of structure forming a first treating chamber,structure forming a second treating chamber, the entrance of the secondchamber adjoining the exit of the first, and means to seal one of saidchambers from the other'comprising a pair of rolls, means to mount saidrolls for rotation between said chambers in the exit of the first andthe entrance of the second, said mounting means including a pivotalsupport located adjacent to said structures for each of said rollswhereby said rolls can move bodily toward and from each other, sealingmeans between said first mentioned structure and each of said rolls, andsealing means between said second. mentioned structure and each of saidrolls.

2. The combination of claim 1 including means to bias each of saidsealing means against the structure with which it is associated and therolls whereby the sealing means will engage both the said structuresandthe rolls at all times.

3. In annealing apparatus for strip material, the combination ofstructure forming a heating chamber having an opening through which thestrip leaves the chamber, structure forming a cooling chamber having anopening through which strip enters said chamber, the openings in saidchambers being aligned with each other in the direction of movement ofthe strip, a pair of rolls, means to mount said rolls for rotationbetween the openings of said two chambers so that the strip passing fromsaid heating chamber will go between said rolls and into said coolingchamber, a heat seal engaging said first mentioned structure around itsopening and said rolls to close the combination of structure forming atreating chamber for strip material and having an opening thereinthrough which the strip passes, a pair of rolls, means to mount saidrolls adjacent to said opening and across the same and for bodilymovement toward and away from each other, the surfaces of said rollsforming a crevice between them, sealing means on said structure andextending axially of said rolls, means to bias said sealing means intoengagement with said rolls, sealing means extending transversely of saidrolls and into the crevice between them, and means to mount saidlast-mentioned means on said structure for movement into engagement withsaid rolls, said first-mentioned and secondmentioned sealing meansserving to close the the space between the surfaces of said rollsforming a crevice, a plurality of sealing elements, means to mount saidelements to said structure extending in a direction parallel to the axesof said rollers, means to bias said elements into engagement with thesurfaces of said rollers to close the space between said structure andthe surface of said rolls, sealing means to extend into the crevicebetween said rolls, means to mount said sealing means on said structurefor movement towards and away from said rolls, and means to bias saidlast mentioned sealing means into engagement with said rolls to closethe space between said structure and the crevice between the rolls.

6. In combination, structure forming a treating chamber for stripmaterial having an opening at one end, a pair of rolls between whichsaid strip passes, means to mount said rolls across and adjacent to theopening of said chamber to close the same, said mounting meanscomprising a pair of levers, means to mount said levers substantiallyparallel to each other with each lever pivoted for movement around apoint intermediate its ends, means to journal a roll on one end of eachlever, means to bias the opposite ends of the levers apart to therebymove the rolls together, and means to seal the space between the rollsand said structure.

7. The combination of claim 6 in which said sealing means includesmembers extending parallel to the axis of each roll outside of saidstructure, and means to bias said members against the surface of saidrolls and against the outside of said structure.

8. In structure of the class described, the combination of a rectangularcasting through which strip material is to pass, means to close the topof said casting comprising a pair of rolls adjacent thereto betweenwhich the strip passes, each roll being longer than said casting, meansto mount said rolls for bodily movement toward and from each otherincluding levers upon which each roll is mounted, means to bias thelevers supporting each roll in a direction normally to maintain saidrollers in engagement with each other, the surfaces of said rollsforming a crevice between them, sealing strips extending lengthwise ofsaid casting and each roll, means to bias each of said sealing stripsagainst a side of said casting, means to bias each of said stripsagainst the surface of a roll, a sealing means at each end of saidcasting and extending into the crevice between the rolls, means to biaseach sealing means into engagement with an end of said casting, andmeans to bias each sealing means into engagement with said roll.

9. In apparatus of the class described adapted to close the end of atreating chamber, the combination of a pair of elongated rolls mountedacross the end of said chamber and between which a strip of material ispassed, a plurality of levers, means to journal an end of each roll uponone end of each lever, means to support each lever intermediate its endsfor pivoted movement and with the rolls adjacent to and parallel to eachother, means to bias said levers in a direction to force said rollstogether and means to rotate said rolls in unison in opposite directionsincluding first gears coaxial with and attached to each roll, secondgears meshing with said first gears and with each other, said secondgears being mounted for rotation coaxially with the pivots of a leversupporting one end of each roll, and motor means to drive positively oneof said second gears.

10. The combination of claim 9 including structure forming a treatingchamber for the strip above the rolls, structure forming a secondtreating chamber for the strip below said rolls, the strip passing fromone chamber between the rolls to the other chamber, and sealing means toclose the space between the rolls and each chamber,

11. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of structureforming a chamber through which a strip to be treated is passed, saidstructure terminating in a portion substantially rectangular in shapeand having elongated side walls and joining end walls, a pair of rollslonger than said side walls, means to mount said rolls parallel to eachother and parallel to said side walls adjacent to the end of saidchamber, sealing means extending parallel to each side wall and betweeneach side wall and the surface of the roll nearest the same, means tobias said sealing means into engagement with said side walls, means tobias said sealing means into engagement with said rolls, sealing membersparallel to said end walls and shaped to engage the adjacent surfaces ofsaid rolls, means to bias one of said sealing members into engagementwith each of said end walls, and means to bias said members toward saidrolls, said sealing means and sealing members serving to close the spacebetween the structure and the rolls to form a substantially gas tightseal between them.

12. The combination of claim 11 in which said mounting means includesmeans to support each roll for rotation and for bodily movement towardand from the other, and means to bias said rolls toward each other atall times, the biasing means for said sealing strips giving as saidrolls move bodily relative to each other.

13. In combination, structure forming a chamber having an opening at theend thereof through which a strip of material to be treated passes, apair of rollers extending lengthwise in front of said openingsubstantially to close the same and between which the strip passes,means to support said rollers including a plurality of levers, means tojournal one end of each roller for rotation upon one end of each lever,means to pivot each of said levers at a point between its ends formovement around an axis parallel to the axes of said rolls, linkagemeans connecting the levers at each end of the rolls for simultaneousmovement in opposite directions, means to bias said levers in adirection to move said rolls toward each other, and sealing meansextending between all sides of the opening of said structure and thesurfaces of said rolls.

KRISTIAN SKIVESEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,367,174 Renkin Jan. 9, 1945 2,387,200 Walter Oct. 16, 19452,409,431 Hess Oct. 15, 1946 2,521,044 Cooper et al. Sept. 5, 1950

